# The Vandertrade 3 is now underfoot



## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

Wayner123 and I have been taking part in a number of different types of blind trades for our enjoyment and the fun of the site.

We are currenlty involved in the all Cuban blind trade. Wayner123 and I sent each other four Cubans for a blind review. The goal is to study, inspect, smoke and ruminate over the cigars to discern the Marca and vitola. It should be fun and hopefully some what educational.

Anyone interested...please tag along.


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## Firridge (Feb 5, 2008)

I look forward to following along.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

Wayner should start reviewing his cigars this weekend, but I wanted to give you something.

This cigar was a spicy ball of tobacco...wow.

For people new to this. I like to take pictures and compare my cigars to Jazz music....This cigar was "koko" by Charlie Parker. Slow start but full of crazy melodic spice.

So let me start with pictures. I was so excited I forgot to take the pictures before I cute it. The cigar was nit sent to me cut...I cute it accidentally.










The cigar also has a really nice foot.










The pre-light draw revealed a nutty taste.

The beginning of this cigar started with a grassy..fruity..nut mixture. The fruit and nut was really faint, but there.










Now, I try to take pictures every time the cigar changes...So this next picture is where the peppery spice hit. The spice hit me like a mac truck. One minute is wasn't there then bam. Spice.

There was my favorite Cuban after taste at this point as well.










In the next picture, the cigar mellowed a little in spice and just had a heavenly taste. The spice only subsided for about ten puffs..but ooohh nice.










In the next picture the spice changed to a nice cinnamon spice. You could really taste the spice and cinnamon. I love multiple spice cigars.










The cigar stayed really spicy all the way to the nub...ohhh what a great cigar...Loved it










The construction of this cigar was great, perfect ashes and draw.

I would rate this cigar a 9.9 out of 10. The beginning stopped it from getting a 10. man I can still taste teh spices on my tongue as I type this....Sweeeeeet.

Now, the hard part...picking the Marca and Vitola. At first, I thought possibly R&J...But as soon as the spice hit I changed my opinion...

I think this cigar was the PARTGAS SERIE P No.2.

I hope I am right.


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## bobarian (Oct 1, 2007)

The review read more like a BBF with a couple of years. :2 Sounds like it was a great smoke!:tu


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Hey Tw3nty you want to take a stab on whether this one was aged or not? I'll reveal what it was after you guess.

:tu


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

My guess is that this cigar was not aged. I am gonna guess that it was a fairly new cigar. I can't wait to hear what the cigar was.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Tw3nty said:


> I would rate this cigar a 9.9 out of 10. The beginning stopped it from getting a 10. man I can still taste teh spices on my tongue as I type this....Sweeeeeet.
> 
> Now, the hard part...picking the Marca and Vitola. At first, I thought possibly R&J...But as soon as the spice hit I changed my opinion...
> 
> ...





Tw3nty said:


> My guess is that this cigar was not aged. I am gonna guess that it was a fairly new cigar. I can't wait to hear what the cigar was.


I am glad you liked this one so much. I am not a big fan of this marca in particular, but a lot of other people are. You had a H. Upmann #2 from 2007.

I would like to know 'why' you thought it was young? Did my preference of fresh smokes lead to guess that or the cigar itself?


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

wayner123 said:


> I am glad you liked this one so much. I am not a big fan of this marca in particular, but a lot of other people are. You had a H. Upmann #2 from 2007.
> 
> I would like to know 'why' you thought it was young? Did my preference of fresh smokes lead to guess that or the cigar itself?


wow. did not even think h. Upmann. thats the main marca Cuban I smoke the least though.

I could tell it was young because the spice was so predominate. In my experience, cigars mellow as they age not get stronger. This spice was in your face.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

You really sen some interesting looking sticks this time...


i was so sure that cigar was a Partagas...Just goes to show how green I am. This is a really fin idea. Glad we started it.


Hurry up and smoke that first cigar. Im impatient.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

So then, my turn...

Here is what Tw3nty sent me:










Just for the sake of mixing it up a bit, I decided to go with smoke #3 so that Tw3nty and I would both do the Torps as our first reviews.

*The construction:* Construction was a bit rough. Most CC's I have seen are not up to the NC QC standards, but this one was a little less so. It also had a box press look to it.

*Pre-light draw:* There was a sweet hay taste and the draw was a little tight.

*Post-light taste:* Right off the bat, I knew this was going to be an enjoyable smoke. The very first pull gave way to a sweet nutty taste. This continued for about a third. After the first third the sweet taste remained and a quality tobacco taste picked up. There was also a metallic taste but not a tannic or bitter taste, but like a sweet gold taste. The nose exhale gave way to more of the tobacco than did the mouth exhale. Very enjoyable still. The last third was more of the same. A sweet nutty taste that left a clean taste on the tongue and quality tobacco. Only in this last third did it ever get bitter, like a slight burnt ash taste, but it was very faint and came and went so as not to distract much for the overall great taste.

*The pick:* I am going to guess Bolivar Belicosos Finos. As far as age, I am going to say fresh because it seemed to have enough heft behind it. I will give the cigar a 9 out of 10.


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## tedrodgerscpa (Jun 22, 2006)

Tw3nty said:


> I could tell it was young because the spice was so predominate. In my experience, cigars mellow as they age not get stronger. This spice was in your face.


I agree with that diagnosis... Because I'm a full bodied guy, I enjoy the rough spice from time to time. Not every time, mind you, but occasionally. I do appreciate an aged stick, but would probably reach for fresh just as quickly, and take what I can get when it comes to box codes.

There are certainly some NCs that benefit from aging (Opus quickly comes to mind) because it balances a bit better after six months or more.

/threadjack

That 'mellowing' is why Don Pepin Garcia thinks that aging is hogwash (from a Blueface post here) I'm *not* trying to stir the pot, but I can almost recognize the age of a cigar by this 'mellowness'

threadjack/

Look forward to seeing more reviews from you two


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

Well, so far we are the same. We were both right on the cigar being not aged and wrong about the marca and vitola. This cigar was the SAN CRISTOBAL LA PUNTA 08. It is a very good stick and I am glad you enjoyed it.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Tw3nty said:


> Well, so far we are the same. We were both right on the cigar being not aged and wrong about the marca and vitola. This cigar was the SAN CRISTOBAL LA PUNTA 08. It is a very good stick and I am glad you enjoyed it.


Well, 1 down 3 more to go. I think I may have mistaken that metallic golden taste I was getting. It tasted like flowers or honeysuckle, and that is what I usually get from SCdLH's.

I'll have to say the '08 batch is smoking wonderfully!! And that's great to know.

Was this out of a box or a single purchase? I would be interested to see why it had such a box press to it.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

wayner123 said:


> Well, 1 down 3 more to go. I think I may have mistaken that metallic golden taste I was getting. It tasted like flowers or honeysuckle, and that is what I usually get from SCdLH's.
> 
> I'll have to say the '08 batch is smoking wonderfully!! And that's great to know.
> 
> Was this out of a box or a single purchase? I would be interested to see why it had such a box press to it.


This was out of a box split I did with some PSHC brothers.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

This was a review of #1.

*The construction:* Construction looked good and had a slick enough wrapper. However, it did not look to have a triple cap, and the cap that was there looked poorly put on.

*Pre-light draw:* The draw was very tight, and I had to use a poker to get any amount of pull. No flavors were present.

*Post-light taste:* This was a strange cigar. There was never a time that I could point to any one taste. It wasn't that it was complex, just that it was so mild and the draw so bad, that most of the time only a tobacco taste came through. The burn was also pretty bad, but that may have been due to the poor draw.

*The pick:* I am going to guess Quai d'Orsay Corona, and I am going to guess aged because of the poor draw. As far as ratings go I am going to give it a 5/10. It was still alright and probably would have been better without all the draw and burn issues.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

wayner123 said:


> This was a review of #1.
> 
> *The construction:* Construction looked good and had a slick enough wrapper. However, it did not look to have a triple cap, and the cap that was there looked poorly put on.
> 
> ...


Sorry about the draw problems. This cigar was the ROMEO No.1. I like this cigar. Sorry u didn't.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Tw3nty said:


> Sorry about the draw problems. This cigar was the ROMEO No.1. I like this cigar. Sorry u didn't.


Was it young or aged??

And you are getting sneaky sending tubo cigars :bn No way I would have ever guessed that.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

wayner123 said:


> Was it young or aged??
> 
> And you are getting sneaky sending tubo cigars :bn No way I would have ever guessed that.


So sorry..this was an 08.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

ok, here is the review for cigar 2. This is gonna sound like a trick, but wayner and I always have similarities in our trades. Ironically this cigar was really plugged as well.

Here is a picture of the cap missing the cap.










Baring the draw problems, the cigar started looking really good. The cigar had a really pungent smell; it smelled strong.










Nice looking cap with a cap.










The foot doesn't look plugged.










The pre-light draw revealed no major flavor.

The first inch of the cigar was really hard to taste. the cigar was super plugged.










As the second third of the cigar moved on, I could taste some tastes but not many. The cigar was really hard to taste. It did not taste bad, but i could not discern the taste.










The final third of the cigar started to develop a taste of wood, but still hard to tell. This cigar will be tough to predict the marca and vitola.










I found this cigar to be a poor drawing cigar a 6 out of 10. At points, there were some good tastes, but they were hard to discern.

I am going to guess this cigar was new and a CORONAS PUNCH. I hope I was right.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Tw3nty said:


> I found this cigar to be a poor drawing cigar a 6 out of 10. At points, there were some good tastes, but they were hard to discern.
> 
> I am going to guess this cigar was new and a CORONAS PUNCH. I hope I was right.


Sorry about the difficult draw. You never know until you fire it up. I too find these one dimensional. I don't think that if the draw had been any better you would have tasted much more than that. This was a '06 H. Upmann Mag 46.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

That is so crazy that we both had plugged second cigars. We have crazy coincidences. I was way of with that cigar. you through me a curve ball....2 Upmanns in a row. You are crazy.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

This is a review of #2.

*The construction:* Nice golden looking color wrapper. A bit toothy, but still well constructed. Again the triple cap was rough, but this time I could make it out.

*Pre-light draw:* The draw was almost perfect. It had a slight grassy taste.

*Post-light taste:* The first few puffs gave way to an excellent taste. Citrus, grass and sweet tobacco all mixed well together. This lasted for about an inch. After the initial inch or so, the flavors then became bitter, as if too much was trying to mix together, but ended up in a mess. Much like an orange peel. This continued for longer than I would have liked, a little more than a third. At the last inch and a half, this cigar did a full turnaround and became really good. The sweet flavors came back and the citrus taste was more prominent. There were no burn or draw issues the entire time. It remained a mild-medium smoke. Always leaving a good clean taste on the palate. The oils seem to stick to the roof of my mouth, but in a refreshing way.

*The pick:* I am going to guess Cohiba Siglo II, I really can't say a guess as to age as I am not familiar enough with Cohiba's. As far as ratings go I am going to give it a 8/10. It would have got higher marks had the 2 inches of bitter not been present. Even with that, the other 3 inches were so good it helped it to rate high.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Tw3nty said:


> That is so crazy that we both had plugged second cigars. We have crazy coincidences. I was way of with that cigar. you through me a curve ball....2 Upmanns in a row. You are crazy.


That is why I wanted you to go in order. I was trying to see if you could tell they were the same marca by flavor. It sucks that the draw was so poor. Or maybe you could have.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

wayner123 said:


> This is a review of #2.
> 
> *The construction:* Nice golden looking color wrapper. A bit toothy, but still well constructed. Again the triple cap was rough, but this time I could make it out.
> 
> ...


Well, this time you were way off. This cigar was a fresh Bolivar PC. I thought this one you might guess for sure...but, I was wrong.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Tw3nty said:


> Well, this time you were way off. This cigar was a fresh Bolivar PC. I thought this one you might guess for sure...but, I was wrong.


LOL, I was way off.

I had thought for a moment I had tasted this cigar before, and now I know for certain. I was just thinking too much as that tubo cigar that you sent made me think of a lot more possibilities.

So no way of breaking even for me now. I'll hopefully smoke the last cigar tonight or tomorrow.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

Here is my cigar number 3 review.

This cigar was filled with complexity and changes. I really, really enjoyed this cigar, but man, its hard to pick the marca and vitola in a blind taste test...this is hard.

The cigar was a nice light colored wrapper.










The foot showed signs of great construction.










The pre-light draw revealed no major taste.

The first inch of the cigar was smooth and nice. a hint of spice and nutty tastes.










With-in the next inch, the cigar changed taste...It was great there was a cinnamon pepper and the taste of Cuba I call it, a sweet hard to describe pleasure in the after taste.










The cigar kept changing in depth and complexity. It was a special experience. All the changes really made the cigar hard to predict. I was dumbfounded.










The cigar stayed spicy and added just a hair of nicotine in the nub. This was a great cigar. This cigar was smooth and tight and that is why this cigar reminded my of Dave Brubeck's _Take Five_, a jazz iconic song for smoothness and great complexity.

My prediction is that this cigar was a HOYO EPICURE No.1 aged.

I give this cigar a rating of 9.5 out of 10.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Tw3nty said:


> Here is my cigar number 3 review.
> 
> The cigar stayed spicy and added just a hair of nicotine in the nub. This was a great cigar. This cigar was smooth and tight and that is why this cigar reminded my of Dave Brubeck's _Take Five_, a jazz iconic song for smoothness and great complexity.
> 
> ...


I am glad you liked this one so much. I find these are great cigars and are always a welcome addition to any rotation. This was a '07 Punch Punch.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

Wow... I would never have guessed that was a Punch Punch. These blind taste tests are so edifying. I learn so much every time I do this. WOW. Thanks.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

This is a review of #4.

*The construction:* A toothy rough looking wrapper. The triple cap was perfect, and made the rest of the cigar look odd.

*Pre-light draw:* The draw was a little loose, like there was not enough tobacco to fill the cigar. It tasted of straight up hay. So much so I wondered if the cigar would taste like anything else once lit.

*Post-light taste:* From the get go, this was a great cigar. However, it was not that complex. There were only 3 flavors present; cinnamon, sweet sugar like hay and tobacco. The most present was cinnamon. I thought a few times I was sucking on a cinnamon stick. The burn was not bad, but it did run a couple times. I blame that on the rough construction.

*The pick:* I am going to guess a fresh Boli tubo.

Once again, I am probably wrong. Blind taste tests are hard, and even more so when you are not familiar with the cigars in question. I thank Tw3nty once again for the opportunity. :ss


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

wayner123 said:


> This is a review of #4.
> 
> *The construction:* A toothy rough looking wrapper. The triple cap was perfect, and made the rest of the cigar look odd.
> 
> ...


Nice try...but this was a LE HOYO DU PRINCE aged, 2001. knew the last one would be a humdinger for you. I will be in California for June and July, so we will be taking a little hiatus until august. I have one more cigar to review though. Don't leave yet.


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## Tw3nty (Jan 25, 2008)

Here I am reviewing my final cigar. I hurt my toe, so I fell a little behind. I think the toe is broken, but I will survive.

This last cigar was a joy to smoke. All Wayner's cigars were great...this was an awesome trade.

This was another light tan looking cigar.










BEAUTIFUL CAP.










Lovely foot, unlike mine. It now looks all black and blue and ugly.










The pre-light draw was really buttery.

The beginning of the cigar was really buttery with a hint of peppery spice.










The second third of the cigar really picked p in spice, but the buttery spice maintained.










The final third of the cigar kept the spice and butter mixture, but added a special taste I recall but can not define.










The nub of the cigar was great...I loved this cigar.

Construction was awesome, great draw and nice ashes.

I rate this cigar a 9.5 out of 10. My prediction is that this cigar is either an SLR or a RASS. I am gonna guess RASS...I hope Im right.


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## wayner123 (Mar 29, 2007)

Tw3nty said:


> Here I am reviewing my final cigar. I hurt my toe, so I fell a little behind. I think the toe is broken, but I will survive.
> 
> This last cigar was a joy to smoke. All Wayner's cigars were great...this was an awesome trade.


I agree :tu Awesome trade this month. Next time will be my choice and I hope to make it interesting.



Tw3nty said:


> The nub of the cigar was great...I loved this cigar.
> 
> Construction was awesome, great draw and nice ashes.
> 
> I rate this cigar a 9.5 out of 10. My prediction is that this cigar is either an SLR or a RASS. I am gonna guess RASS...I hope Im right.


This was an 08 El Rey de Mundo Choix Supreme. I too love these cigars. I am usually a stronger smoke kind of guy but there is something about how the sweet creamy (in your words "buttery") comes across that makes these one of my top 5 favorite smokes.


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